Cultural Diplomacy: Arts, Festivals and Geopolitics

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY FINAL .pdfEdited by Milena Dragievi Šeši
with Ljiljana Roga Mijatovi
Published by
Creative Europe Desk Serbia Ministry of Culture and Media of Republic of Serbia
Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, Institute for Theatre Film Radio and Television
Special series editor Dimitrije Tadi, Head of Creative Europe Desk Serbia
Part of this book is the result of the project "Identity and memory: transcultural texts of dramatic arts and media" no. 178012 of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, financed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia.
CULTURAL DIPLOMACY: Arts, Festivals and Geopolitics
Edited by Milena Dragievi Šeši
III chapter editor Ljiljana Roga Mijatovi IV chapter editor Nina Mihaljinac
Creative Europe Desk Serbia, Ministry of Culture and Media of Republic of Serbia
Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, Institute for Theatre Film Radio and Television
Belgrade, 2017
Milena Dragievi Šeši 11
I CONCEPTS AND POLICIES
Since Internationalism: Diplomacy, Ideology, and a Political Agency for Culture
Jonathan Vickery 35
Serhan Ada 51
Cultural Diplomacy from Below: Artistic Projects with Refugees and Migrants
Monika Mokre 61
Why We Have to Overcome Paternalism in Times of Populism Raphaela Henze 73
Fair Cooperation? Partnership-based Cooperation in Cultural Policy & Cultural Management
Annika Hampel 89
Who Holds the Power in Soft Power? Melissa Nisbett 107
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II FESTIVALS AS PLATFORMS OF CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
Arts Festivals are our Voices in Society Hugo de Greef 123
BITEF and cultural diplomacy today Ivan Medenica 127
Festivals as Social Dramas and Metaphors: Between Popular and Subversive
Aleksandra Jovievi 133
The Foundation of Bitef (1967) and Cultural Diplomacy of Socialist Yugoslavia
Ksenija Radulovi 145
BITEF in the New Millennium: From One Crisis to Another Anja Suša 155
Inclusive Practices at the International Performing Arts Festivals (Knowledge Transfer and Agenda Setting in the International Cooperation)
Darko Luki 163
The Dialectics of Cultural Diplomacy. Example of Dubrovnik Summer Festival
Ana uvela 173
Theatre, Theatre Festivals and Cultural Diplomacy Mike van Graan 185
Transition of the Festival’s Ideas Ivana Stefanovi 195
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III SHIFTING TRENDS IN CULTURAL DIPLOMACY (FROM ARTS TO GASTRO-DIPLOMACY)
Implications of Multiple Identity Layers for Cultural Diplomacy of Serbia
Ljiljana Roga Mijatovi 203
Leda Laggiard 211
Cultural Diplomacy, a Dialogue with the Civil society Biljana Tanurovska Kjulavkovski 221
Contemporary Art Practices in the Conduct of Cultural Diplomacy
Milica Savi 229
Gastronomy as a Tool in Cultural Diplomacy and Nation Branding of Serbia
Tanja Strugar 241
The Roles and Practices of Fashion in Cultural Diplomacy Mina Popovi 251
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Creative Europe Programme as an Instrument of European Cooperation, Internationalisation and Strengthening the Capacity of Cultural Organisations and Institutions in Serbia
Dimitrije Tadi 265
Nina Mihaljinac 275
Nevena Negojevi 285
Nikola Krstovi 291
Literature and the Martini Principle Beba Stankovi 301
Performing Arts: Why are Technologies and Equipment so Important for European and International Cooperation?
Jasna Dimitrijevi 307
Music: Ethno and/or Contemporary? Aleksandra Paladin 313
Visual Arts: XX Century History as a key Strength Slaana Petrovi Varagi 317
Creative Industries Danica Boji 323
Humanities and Theory of Art: Why We Need Interdisciplinary Teams of Artists and Scientists?
Nina Mihaljinac 329
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V METHODOLOGICAL ANNEX RELATED TO THE SURVEY OF EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL COOPERATION IN SERBIA
Distribution of Ministry of Culture and Media of RS funds for international cooperation
Milan orevi and Nina Mihaljinac Sector for contemporary artistic production and creative industries 337 Cinematography and audiovisual production 337 Visual arts and multimedia 342 Performing arts 345 Music 348 Literary translations 350 Sector for international cooperation, European cooperation and projects 352 Mobility of professionals 354 International programmes 356 Centre culturel de Serbie 357
Overview of participation cultural organisations from Serbia in the Creative Europe Programme
Milan orevi European cooperation projects 362 Literary translations 376 European platforms 396 Cross-sectoral strand 396 MEDIA subrpogramme open calls 397 EU prizes and initiatives 399
List of Contributors 401
Cultural Diplomacy in practice: Mira Trailovi, BITEF and geopolitics Milena Dragievi Šeši
Introduction: Mira Trailovi theatre leadership
“I was always led by certain characteristics of my personality that can be considered as positive (…), and they are persistence and optimism. I do not like to leave any job unfinished, I do not like to resign real possibilities that are around us and in the same time I try to keep loyalty. Without loyalty achieved success cannot offer us real joy.”1
In 2015, bitef festival, the pride of Serbian theatre circles, got a new artistic director Ivan Medenica, who wanted to reposition bitef festival on the world scale. Knowing my text “The leadership style of Mira Trailovi ” (in: Caust, 2013) he proposed to me to organise the conference: Mira Trailovi and cultural diplomacy: theatre festivals and geopolitics. From the idea to the realisation, the title of the conference was changed2, but the spirit of Mira Trailovi and her contribution to cultural diplomacy through bitef, her activities as the director of Atelje 212 and as the director of the Theatre des Nations in 1982 in Nancy, has been evoked throughout the conference from the introductory speeches of Misha Shvidkoy, Ivan Medenica and myself, till the session: Testimonies that brought on the stage of Atelje 212 her former collaborators with numerous stories related to her visions, ideas and methods of operation –discussing cultural diplomacy in practice.
Persistence, optimism and loyalty might be precise words to describe her work in theatre, but not sufficient to understand such a complex personality that had strength and courage to position her small theatre on the world scale, using the BITEF festival as a principal but not the only tool of communication. This conference was homage to her achievements, honouring also results that BITEF had in the years that followed, remembering other actors and partners in this endeavour, first of all, Jovan irilov but also Milan muki and many others (quoting here only those that are not any more among us).
Mira Trailovi influence went far beyond the institutions she created as those were inspirational for agents on other artistic scenes (music, visual art, film, etc.) in Yugoslavia and even for politicians that understood to what extent her visions might be shared within cultural policy and cultural diplomacy. Coming from the generation that was burdened by changing political history and wars, in spite of 1 Quote from the interview with Feliks Paši, documentary film “Uesnik i svedok“ (Participant
and witness), director Nenad Momilovi, TV Belgrade 1988. 2 Conference: bitef and cultural diplomacy: theatre and geopolitics, organised by UNESCO
Chair in Cultural Policy and Management of University of Arts Belgrade, in partnership with the BITEF festival and the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, was held 1st and 2nd October in Atelje 212, Bitef theatre and Rectorate of the University of Arts.
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authoritarianism of the system that was dominating in her homeland (she never joined the Communist party), she succeeded to find the formula for cohabitation using all possibilities of the system but also inspiring changes within the system, opening spaces for more freedom.
Paving the way that led towards important social and cultural changes in Yugoslavia, Mira Trailovi introduced the spirit of cosmopolitism, citizenship, urbanity as values. At the same time she was the PR machine capable of spinning and campaigning in the society in which those terms have not been known and in which similar activities in other cultural organisations have been considered blasphemy. Mira Trailovi compensated her shortage of political credibility by surrounding herself with those who had that official political authority. She knew that it is important to show that she is close to them (for instance, to call some high official in front of the members of the ensemble) but also to secure their presence on each premiere. She always asked the major of Belgrade to open the festival in order to show that BITEF has it’s political importance, respect and value in society, even outside cultural circles. However, she wanted to be considered above all: the theatre creator, whose major traits are responsibility and critical self-consciousness. She used to say: “Only responsible person does good and achieves good result” (Paši, 2006: 19).
In tandem with Jovan irilov, Mira Trailovi had all that was needed for sharp, brave curatorial decision… As cosmopolites, they were not caring if the piece is coming from big or small theatre culture, choosing performances which were breaking down aesthetic conventions and were yet to become acknowledged in the theatre world. They also knew what is contextually and politically relevant, what crushes the ideological boundaries of all kinds. BITEF therefore removed borders and walls, exceeded the conventions of genre, built new festival narratives – and new bridges of the still unglobalised worlds. It was a platform in which the New York scene stood on equal footing with the amateurs from the city of Pune (India), Moscow State Theatre with Mexican university theatre, and Berlin`s avant-garde theatre next to the children’s theatre from Banja Luka. Such geopolitics of equity is the geopolitics of bold and conceptually independent theatre festivals. BITEF is certainly one of them. It’s geopolitics corresponded to the geopolitics of solidarity that Yugoslavia was developing through the non-aligned movement.
Confirming the reasons behind the “strangeness” of BITEF’s choice often preferring small, independent actors over big and significant theatre institutions, Mira Trailovi with her associates (irilov, Todor Lalicki, Arsa Jovanovi and others) discovered dozens of nontheatrical spaces for theatre performances, and long before the theory of “art in the public space” started coming forth to the city, in factories, shops, warehouses, mines, film studios, parks etc. BITEF as flaneur used the Belgrade’s streets, in front of the astonished passengers of public transportation with Bread and Puppet Theatre masked procession on stilts, and with fanfares which are introducing the performances as an unusual counterpoint to the radical aesthetic expression of the most of performances.
Not only that she has brought the world to Belgrade, Mira Trailovi was taking Yugoslav theatre to the world. She organised the first theatre tours in United States, Iran, Mexico (15 countries and 26 cities) making Yugoslav and Serbian theatre
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culture present in the world, participating in significant festivals in Paris, Persepolis and many other places. At some point, she even managed, at least temporarily, to enlarge the space of freedom in the very Soviet Union in which she arrived in May 1968 (after several previous invitations had been cancelled). The minister for culture, Yekaterina Furtseva, asked again for postponement of Mira’s arrival, just one day before the planned departure. Mira Trailovi responded that scenography is already on it’s way (which was not true). When she arrived in Moscow she got the information that all tickets were sold. However, the Ministry did everything to make sure that only carefully “selected” could be the audience in a half-empty auditorium. Mira Trailovi then sent the message to radio station Voice of America and invited the citizens of Moscow to come and see the performance Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf? Great number of people reacted to her call but she had to personally argue with the doorkeepers in order to ensure that everyone who came without ticket can enter the theatre and be seated.
BITEF AND GEOPOLITICS – BOTTOM UP APPROACH TO CULTURAL DIPLOMACY In 2016, the 50th festival was realised under the slogan “On the back of a raging bull”, a clear association for the present day turbulences and conflicts that are destroying Europe “of hope” and it,s values (Moisi 2010). This strong metaphor is pointing both the world and the Europe that are riding on the waves of populism and rage, fearing “the other”, the stranger, as the cause of its problems. It shows also that there are no firm “pillars” within the frenzied current of different fundamentalisms that destroy everything in front of them. Within Europe, on this enraged bull, theatre artists tend to keep up formulating their visions of the world, sharing them among each other and creating new frameworks for cultural dialogues and encounters in spite of new frontiers (Foucher 2012). Frontiers and walls that are being built among cultures (from “walls of knowledge” to fortress Europe) are always self-destructive3. Building walls around Palestine, putting wire fence in between Serbia and Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia through Istria having more and more “walled” communities living in camps that started as temporary in 1948 (Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon) like the Jungle in Calais in France, are a disgrace of today’s civilisation, together with strict visa regimes that prevent thousands of mostly African artists to participate in different processes of cultural collaboration. Hundreds of thousands of children refugees do not go to school and are even forced to work… Theatre creators from Lebanon and Palestine (Zoukak Beirut that collaborates with the Centre for cultural decontamination in Belgrade and Freedom theatre situated on the occupied West bank) are engaged in extremely important and relevant theatre activities with refugees showing not only their human, but also professional solidarity – creating cultural diplomacy from below. Both BITEF festival programme and the Conference have devoted its attention to this bottom up approach to cultural diplomacy.
3 Radical turn that the US achieved in opening university education and in this way put in the second plan the European ones that were inspiration (Humboldt) or benchmarks (Oxford and Cambridge) for American universities at the turn of the 20th century. European universities, having different forms of wall (Latin and Greek language at the entering exam) lost the race with American ones that brought talents from around the world for their own benefit.
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Festivals are platforms where even “theatre art might happen”4 as Bob Wilson had said in his opening speech to 50th edition of BITEF festival, presenting one imagined encounter with Tito in his wardrobe after Letter to queen Victoria. This Wilson’s story might have numerous interpretations: How Tito was “seduced” by the American soft power (although disappointed that it was not Elisabeth Taylor who was in the wardrobe) or how Bob Wilson was “seduced” by the Yugoslav soft power – the best represented in Tito’s hedonistic approach to life with leftist “touch” (appeal).
The opening had another geopolitically relevant event: theatre directors that have been with their performances more than three times on BITEF, came from all around the world to greet its fiftieth edition: from Russia to the US, from Lithuania to France, Romania etc. That is how this 50th edition of BITEF returned to its starting points, expanding its geography toward China, Singapore, Lebanon, South Africa, Syria, bringing artists and experts to present and discuss the most challenging issues of the contemporary world. This re-opening represents an important turn of the Serbian cultural scene towards artistic flows in the world that demands self-organisation and great extent of self-confidence of these agents from the margins of the globalised world, offering alternative platforms for re-conceptualisation of the contemporary “world culture” (Lechner, Boli, 2005), “culture-monde” (Chaube & Martin).
Specific themes of the performances provoked other questions and discussions linked to international cultural relations and cultural diplomacy. Why and how Eastern avant-garde (Tadeusz Kantor) was inspirational for New York artists; why and what Western world is doing in Africa; how Asian cultures are resisting global influences by linking tradition and their contemporaneity. International conference of theatre critics with its 150 participants was also one of the proofs that BITEF wants to regain its role of the independent agent of cultural diplomacy.
From its very beginning BITEF has been networking at different levels in the artistic and political circles over the world. It has become the interface where politically confronted or separated cultures meet. Positioned as a cutting-edge festival of new theatre tendencies at a time of the culture of hope (Moisi 2010), BITEF has been establishing new parameters of the modern culture in the West and crossing the frontiers of the cold war and universal geostrategic divisions. At the same time, long before the anthropological approach to the theatre would take Schechner and Brook to the Third World and open the ‘third road’ for Barba (Barba and Savareze, 2005), the Yugoslav non-aligned policy brought to BITEF traditional theatre expressions from around the world. It started as “serendipity”, as the Government of India decided to send the present – the Kathakali production for the 1967 first BITEF opening. The difficult present, that demanded Mira Trailovi with all her curatorial talents, to find for it the true name among cutting-edge contemporary forms (the “roots of the world theatre”) and the right place by continuing its representation every year, thus enabling BITEF and Yugoslavia to confirm in the full sense its non-aligned policy, enabling theatrical voices of those hitherto inaudible and invisible to begin echoing from the world cultural stage. 4 “Without festivals there would not be a chance for big and important productions and no chance
for arts.” Even Einstein on the beach would not be created as it needed many co-producers and one of them was the BITEF festival on the recommendation of Mira Trailovi. It is absolutely certain that it was a “producer’s endeavour of the century” that we never had before and since. That endeavour enabled BITEF to last for a long time among first rate festivals in the world and act as the main operator of the Yugoslavian cultural diplomacy.
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The Cold War brought to BITEF the best from the socialist block, because even the most rigid part of it: East Germany, wanted to demonstrate that it was not just as good as, but even better and stronger in artistic expression than its Western “brother”. Thus, Belgrade was the meeting point of the best theatres from East and West. The Soviet Union, though facing ‘dilemmas’ whether and how much to allow the dissident theaters to go to BITEF, “let them out”, imposing also to BITEF currators the best from the “establishment”5. This was already the time when theatre studios in Poland flourished, with theatre in Czechoslovakia that offered rare opportunities for public expressions. So, Grotowski and Kantor on the one hand, and Kreja and Pintilie on the other, were important BITEF guests – the reference points of the festival programme.
More free, the Western cultural world brought their representative institutional but also innovative theatre forms (theatres of Antoine Vitez, Roger Planchon, Patrice Chereau, Stein, Botho Strauss, Heiner Muller), explicitly dissident organisations (Living Theatre, Bread and Puppet, la Mama…) and even the leftist community theatre – with interventionist, activist participative projects (Werkteater from Amsterdam). So, BITEF was the spot where people like Alwin Nikolais and Merce Cunningham from US, and Efros and Tovstonogov from the Soviet Union, were meeting, looking at each other’s work, reflecting, sometimes even discussing.
The Third World brought to BITEF its roots that were so inspirational for the modern theatre: in addition to Kathakali, there were the Yuroba Opera from Nigeria, Noh, Bunraku and Butoh dance from Japan, Beijing Opera, Indonesian shadow theatre, to be joined by Western traditional forms: Sicilian puppets and the American Medicine Show… Habib Tanvir and Satish Alekar, two leaders of Indian contemporary theatre were BITEF’s guests and although they were not praised and greeted by Yugoslav media and theatre circles as Bob Wilson and Pina Bausch were, for Mira and Jovan, they were equally important spots on the theatre map of the world.
At BITEF, theatres have always represented their countries; there, at the festival, we heard their anthems, often for the very first time, but it was also space shared by all of them, a celebration opening with theatre fanfare, and frequently followed by processions down Belgrade streets or performances of visual artists thereby making the whole festival a cultural performance of its own. BITEF’s map of the world is not yet complete and will never be complete and it creates possibilities and challenges for new geopolitical and…